Choosing to commit to vegan fashion is an impactful part of a vegan lifestyle!
Furs, leather and wool have negative impacts on the animals and the planet too, so good on you for making an effort to choose more compassionate options when it comes to your closet!
To start, please be gentle with yourself. It’s totally normal for clothes shopping to feel like new and unknown territory at this stage. It can also be hard to determine whether to keep and wear through your existing non-vegan pieces. Trust that however you choose to go about this process is okay!
Whether you’re choosing to purge your closet completely, or simply want to stop contributing to animal cruelty by way of new clothing purchases moving forward, I hope this list will prove to be a helpful guide!
Vegan Fabrics
These fabrics are man-made synthetics, derived from plants, or a combination of both.
- Acrylic – A Synthetic Fabric (most often used in sweaters)
- Bamboo – A cloth or yarn made from bamboo fibres
- Batiste – A lightweight, semi-sheer cotton fabric; used for heirloom sewing, lingerie, and blouses
- Calico – A plain-woven textile made from unbleached and often not fully processed cotton
- Canvas – Durable, plain woven fabric
- Chenille – Commonly manufactured from cotton, but can also be made using acrylic, rayon and olefin
- Chino – Twill Fabric, made of 100% cotton
- Corduroy – composed of tufted cords
- Cotton – Thread, yarn, or cloth made from cotton, a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll around the seeds of the cotton plants
- Denim – Sturdy cotton warp-faced textile in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads
- Duck Cotton (Duck Cloth, Duck Canvas) – Heavy, plain woven cotton fabric, more tightly woven than canvas
- Elastane – Elastic polyurethane material
- Faux-Leather – Man Made material such as PVC or Polyutherane (a synthetic resin in which the polymer units are linked by urethane groups)
- Flannelette – Cotton fabric imitating flannel
- Gingham – Lightweight plain-woven cotton cloth, typically checked
- Hemp – Fiber of the cannabis plant
- Khaki – Sturdy twilled cloth usually made from cotton and linen
- Lame – Fabric interwoven with threads of metal
- Linen – Cloth woven from flax
- Lyocell – Rayon which consists of cellulose fibre made from dissolving pulp
- Madras – Lightweight cotton fabric typically patterned in texture
- Microfiber – Made of very fine synthetic yarn
- Modal – A semi-synthetic cellulose fiber (a type of rayon)
- Moleskin – Heavy cotton fabric, woven and then sheared
- Muslin – Plain-woven cotton fabric
- Nylon – A tough, lightweight, elastic synthetic polymer
- Oilcloth – A canvas coated with linseed or other oil
- Orlon – A synthetic acrylic fiber used for textiles and knitwear
- Polar Fleece – A soft napped insulating fabric made from polyester
- Polyester – fabric made from synthetic polyester fiber
- Rayon – Textile fabric made from regenerated cellulose (viscose)
- Sateen – Cotton fabric woven like satin with a glossy surface
- Seersucker – Printed cotton or synthetic fabric with a surface of puckered and flat sections, typically in a striped pattern
- Spandex – Synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity
- Ultrasuede – Trade name for a synthetic ultra-microfiber fabric & type of microfiber
- Velour – Plush, knitted fabricsimilar, usually made from cotton, but can also be made from synthetic materials
- Viscose – Semi-synthetic fabric or fiber made from a viscous solution of cellulose
- Voile – Soft, sheer fabric, usually made of 100% cotton or a cotton blend
Non Vegan Fabrics:
Alternatively, as a quick guide, these are the NON VEGAN fabrics I find MOST COMMON when shopping & I’d be sure to avoid these when ISO vegan garments.
- Down
- Fur
- Wool/Merino
- Cashmere
- Angora
- Leather
- Suede
My Favourite Sustainable Vegan Fabrics:
Recycled Fabrics
From any of the vegan fabrics listed above, or in vintage, thrifted or consigned pieces, as you’re helping to eliminate waste from landfill, and lessening the need to produce more garments altogether!
Organic Cotton
Differs from regular cotton, as no earth-harming pesticides or GMOs are used in its production. Plus it makes for the cosiest tees & sweaters!
Linen
Made from the flax plant, linen is a zero-waste material that requires very little energy, water & resources to produce. AND it’s recyclable and biodegradable. My gorgeous friend Samantha has written a much more in depth post about this sustainable fabric here.
Hemp
Proven to actually improve soil quality and grown without the need for fertilizer or pesticides, Hemp is also known to be a durable, long wearing fabric.
Bamboo
Earth friendly as it is also derived from a grass requiring no fertilizer or pesticides, Bamboo is a favourite for its soft feel and moisture-wicking capabilities.
Hydro-Less denim
Hydro-Less denim factories utilize nano-bubble and Ozone-wash technologies to conserve water. Check out Canadian company Frank & Oak‘s Hydroless denim & selection of sustainably made basics (Note: not all are vegan, watch out for Merino, Wool & Cashmere!)
And that’s that! Hope this article was helpful. Would love to know your fabric & fashion questions, or thoughts in the comments, as this can be a real grey area for those who are new!
Rebecca xx
LOVED this post, Rebecca! I could see how the decision for those who recently became vegan to potentially quit using the animal products in their closet due to ethical reasons would be a quick choice and, if it is, I hope they sell on Poshmark/Depop where possible! Unfortunately, charity donations don’t always end up in the right hands :/ It’s a toughie for sure! My biggest question about vegan fabrics is to do with wool. I’ve recently seen the PETA videos of how some sheep are poorly mistreated and it’s absolutely heart breaking. IS there an ethical way to source wool? Do you know? I know that sheep go through a natural shedding of their winter coat anyway so they’re typically sheered in the spring – but surely there are farms that can do this without harming the sheep in the process? If not, I suppose the only way forward is to avoid all wool until it can be done ethically! Anywho, what a ramble. Loved this post and thank you for the mention! I had a look at my old post and I’m dreaming of putting that linen dress back on again once the weather warms!!! xxx
Samantha! Yes I wholeheartedly agree, not all charity donations do get used, especially those sent to thrift shops. Selling online via ebay, facebook marketplace, or otherwise is best! Or even passing on to friends or donating to women’s shelters where they are more likely to use everything is ideal! In regards to ethical wool, I’ve been led to believe that no mass produced wool can in fact be considered ethical. So if you do find say an etsy seller or wool sweaters at a farmers market & the maker can confirm they buy their wool from a local farm, it’s possible… I actually used to work in the sourcing department for lululemon and even our raw materials team said they couldn’t guarantee whether wool (or other animal materials) were produced ethically because they are in contract with the yarn suppliers, not the wool supplier. The yarn suppliers would be responsible on their side for sourcing the wool and would determine what standards they required as far as quality & ethical production goes. Lululemon could only ensure ethical and fair labour practices of the yarn suppliers from whom they purchased. It seems these finished products have producers at so many different stages, it limits the control & also the information at the top (Though it also removes responsibility, which is likely better for very large companies). So whether or not companies are trying to do the right thing, this is why many aren’t able to confirm or deny whether their goods are sourced ethically or provide greater context & detail. I hope that’s helpful! And if you find anymore info, I’d be grateful if you’d share!
That absolutely makes sense re: not being able to dig deeper into the ethics. It’s unfortunate, but I feel more informed now because of your post so THANK YOU! :* xxx